This week I wrote about Feminist-Friendly Summer TV Programs including Huge and Degrassi! I also wrote about the controversy over Forever21’s new Maternity Line in a post called, What’s Wrong With ‘Normalizing” Teen Pregnancy? I also wrote about a new anti-rape campaign in Scotland, and I wrapped up my personal posts about dieting and body image as well. In addition, if anyone is interested, I decided to revive the Self-Esteem Awareness Month campaign that we created last year on Imagine Today!
Teenage girls and internalized sexism – how a horrible experience in my teens made me value feminism more and teens less I hosted Disability Carnival #68! New weekly Mad Men discussion feature with Coca Colo, Mad Hoc. Two posts on female instrumentalists – one retro edition by Faye, and one modern edition. There is a huge racial gap in organ donation.
Women’s Glib has a bunch of new bloggers who have been rocking it, basically. Parenting in public: Katie and Elena weigh in. On genderqueer identity. Eat, pray, wallow in privilege.
True Blood I Got A Right To Sing The Blues: A critical look at this week’s episode. This specifically looks at the treatment of class in True Blood and the fact that Bill finally gets called on his supposed moral superiority by Lorena Apparently No, Still Means Yes For Girls Gone Wild: Looking at a case in which a woman sued for having her breasts revealed and then filmed By Girls Gone Wild without her consent. Children in Public Spaces: Looking at the right of children to occupy space and why it is absolutely un-feminist to suggest otherwise. Vagina Power and What is a Trans Man: regarding how to talk to children about trans people and teaching them that gender does not equal genitalia. The Gift Economy and Reconceptualizing Women’s Labour: Looking at we need to rethinking what constitutes labour and how this will elevate the status of women. Sunday Shame: Trip Down Memory Lane Edition: In which I wholeheartedly shame the unhusband for waking me up with eighties music. Pop by and share the worse way someone has ever woken you up.
In New York City, there are thousands of homeless people–and thousands of buildings that lie empty, warehoused and abandoned by landlords, banks, and government agencies. About 3 years ago, advocacy group Picture the Homeless did a count of vacant buildings in Manhattan and found that 24,000 apartments could be used from them–enough to house every homeless person in the city according to contemporary estimates. The first step is to know which buildings are vacant and hold the owners accountable. A piece of legislation was introduced this February to conduct an annual census of the city’s vacant properties. It attracted a majority of the City Council members as co-sponsors, but anonymous power brokers have been preventing the bill from going to a vote. Why is this a feminist issue? Because in NYC, 80% of the homeless population is comprised of families (http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/pages/basic-facts), and the vast majority of families in NYC shelters (89 percent) are headed by women (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/downloads/pdf/vera_Study.pdf). A 2003 survey of 100 homeless mothers in 10 locations around the country found that 25% of the women had been physically abused in the last year. A 2002 study in New York City found that almost half of all homeless parents had been abused, and 25% of all homeless parents were homeless as a direct result of domestic violence. (http://www.aclu.org/FilesPDFs/housing%20paper.4.pdf)
I discovered the existence of the Gay Games, and wrote about that, and about out gay sportspeople in general. I also went to our local Pride.
What is ‘The Mirror’? – The title of my upcoming show is Uncovering the Mirrors. Mirrors reflect the parts of us we don’t like seeing, but also the parts that are worth celebrating. What’s my mirror?
New guest post on using World Of Warcraft as a practice field for SMASHING Kyiarchy. And I guest posted on another blog about how groping isn’t a compliment contrary to popular belief.
Oh hello, it’s my first time here. I’ve got four quite different posts up this week. My favorite is . It’s a response to a random blog post about a Nike ad campaign. is a recipe (and video) of making noodles. I’ve been making Italian-style noodles for a while, but had a hell of a time finding a recipe for any other type. is about how I am physically and mentally unable to do things I don’t like. is a gooey reflection on my two-year-so-far relationship with my kickass partner.
This week over at my blog, I questioned the scientific assumption that our sex drive evolved based only on the need to make babies, Ranted about university officials in Georgia sending homophobic students into queer spaces as a punishment (twice!), And suggested Andrew Brietbart was relying on white farmers to put racial loyalty ahead of truth and friendship to allow him to attack Shirley Sherrod, and discussed how the political landscape will change if conservatives can’t rely on that sort of race-baiting to work.
When you have a visible disability, you expect random people to make boorish comments occasionally. But when that person is a doctor with decades of experience, it’s particularly upsetting: http://onefemalegaze.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/ra-diaries-bedside-manners/
Ok, this week at Unnatural Forces! There’s a Mad Men discussion thread about the first episode, and I’ll be hosting one each week. I tried to muddle through my feelings about sex work and legalization, especially in light of having taken money for my body myself. And I *might* just have written a blog post entitled “How to read (and comment on) a motherfucking blog post” that *might* have been inspired by Feministe’s own recent comment fun. And if you’ve had enough of that, there’s a cute kitty picture.
I am one of six regular writers on the new blog Elysium Avenue. All women, very diverse ages from 23-60+, mothers and non-mothers. Personal anecdotes, movie reviews, and lots more. Magenta Wombat wrote about growing up feminist but still being expected to reject that idea and get married/have children http://elysiumavenue.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/great-expectations/ I wrote about food and mother/daughter relationships http://elysiumavenue.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/steel-cut-breakfast/ Lots more to come, add us to your RSS
This week I discussed a recent collection of essays on Michael Jackson and tried to talk about transphobia, racism and white privilege, metonymy, and commodification, among other things.
Feminism and Cycling: ‘The Untrammeled Woman’ the first official post from new blogger, Liz, at Feminist Fatale http://feministfatale.com/2010/07/feminism-and-cycling-the-untrammeled-woman/ Sucker Punch: Stilettos, Booty Shorts and Machine Guns http://feministfatale.com/2010/07/sucker-punch-stilettos-booty-shorts-and-machine-guns/ Kendall Jenner and her bikini shoot: Pretty Is Not Enough http://feministfatale.com/2010/07/pretty-is-not-enough/ Mad Women: Any Guesses as to Don Draper’s Safe Word http://feministfatale.com/2010/07/mad-women-any-guesses-as-to-don-drapers-safe-word/ Feminists for Choice interview veteran activist Zoe Nicholson; sweet mention of Melanie of Feminist Fatale at the end http://feministfatale.com/2010/07/zoe-nicholsons-interview-with-feminists-for-choice/ Melanie’s interview @ The Daily Femme http://feministfatale.com/2010/07/interview-with-the-daily-femme/ American Apparel Still Sucks: Deep Inside the Brand A letter from an American Apparel on behind the scenes sex, weaves and Dov http://feministfatale.com/2010/07/american-apparel-still-sucks-deep-inside-the-bran/ Melanie @ Ms Magazine: Doll Parts: The ‘Barbie Executioner Strikes Back’ on girlhood, parenting,beauty and resistance http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/07/29/doll-parts-the-barbie-executioner-strikes-back/ Dancing Spirit into Being: The Tantric Dance of Feminine Power with NIta Rubio (article and VIDEO) An ode to my teacher on her 4oth birthday http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/07/dancing-spirit-into-being/
Coca Colo discusses what Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism have in common–a woman problem–in light of Sarah Hurwitz’s ordination and the RCA’s reaction. She argues Pete Campbell’s transition to likable nice guy (and even comic foil!) this season on Mad Men is inappropriate in light of his rape of his neighbor’s nanny. Does Matthew Weiner think that rape can be used as an opportunity for personal growth? And for more Mad Men, Deeply Problematic blogger RMJ and Coca Colo launch a new feature called “Mad Hoc,” where we discuss each new episode of Mad Men through a feminist lens. Guest blogger VikingKitten asks some tough questions about the line between friendliness and flirting in a professional setting, and whose responsibility it is to tell the difference.
http://animeg.blogspot.com/2010/07/weve-all-been-deputized-into-parenting.html On the parenting police
For some reason, it is really hard to find any news about the pro-immigrant actions that went down in Arizona this week. So I collected everything I could find and put it here. Beautiful women are bad for your health! Or so says a spate of recent articles based on SCIENCE. Freedom Rides for Fetuses! Have you heard about the anti-choicers reproducing MLK’s Freedom Rides in support of freedom for fetuses? Fetal rights are the next civil rights battle, people!
Guest post – On dealing with doctors – Guest blogger Simone Lovelace wrote up a post about her experiences dealing with two different doctors when trying to get treatment for dyspaerunia (painful sex.)
This week I wrote about Baby Gap’s “Mini Skinny” jeans for toddlers, a post which prompted me to write another about my ideas on parenting.
Today I finally finished my post about Apologies and what they mean to me and others: http://bit.ly/doFrL8
I’m disappointed in an otherwise good article’s portrayal of a male-female married couple where the man is bisexual. http://ethecofem.com/2010/07/31/1031/
This week, I wrote four posts about quite different things on my blog Pastamatopoeia. Of most interest is probably Fuck your fascist beauty standards, OR, Nike and my ass about a Nike ad campaign and the blog post that calls it brilliant. There’s also a gooey post reflecting on the first two years with my kickass partner , a hard-to-find recipe for mein noodles (with great video from the originator), and idle musing about my inability to do things I hate.
Anne Rice, the Empress of the Vampire Novel, famously converted to Christianity. Now she’s taking it back. She still loves Christ, but those Christians were getting on her nerves. Perhaps the thought of spending eternity with Phyllis Schlafly and Sarah Palin made her think the Other Place might not be so bad… http://kmareka.com/2010/07/29/anne-rice-apostate/
Two feminist fails I noticed in pop culture lately: Kelly Osbourne’s Mel Gibson “Just smile and blow me” shirt The latest issue of Vibe featuring Diddy, Rick Ross, and Janelle Monae (waayy in the back)
Kind of an old post, but I take a look at the hijras of India. Gender bending across cultures: Hijras I also announce that I will be examining race, gender, etc. in new series Outsourced. Outsourced premiering in September I’ve also been reading about a Kenyan who had to flee her home, because male elders don’t like the idea of a woman being a Chief. Kenyan, Named Chief, Now has fled her home
In Germany boar hunting is a manly sport, but they have to skip the pig roast. Fallout from the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago is working its way up the food chain. Beware of eating Bacon That Glows in the Dark. http://kmareka.com/2010/07/31/bacon-that-glows-in-the-dark/
This week I wrote about the media’s reaction to Roethlisberger’s return to the grid iron, which said either almost nothing about him sexually assaulting a woman or just said he seems to be a really nice guy now. Also, I wrote an editorial about why the death penalty needs to go in Texas (and, well, everywhere) in light of the Cameron Todd Willingham case and why I am so infuriated at last week’s bogus report by the commission that is supposed to be investigating whether the state murdered an innocent man (which, spoiler alert, they did). Also: In Texas, “Be a Man”. And make sure to demand it of others by putting it on your license tag. Classy.
This week in Evil Slutopia: ~We addressed the criticism of Kathy Griffin for her recent joke about Scott Brown. ~An article about “the sexiest jeans for your body” cause us to ask the question: Does Cosmo Think Hilary Duff is Plus-Sized?
I wrote about an unconference for girls in “geeky”-left up to you to define-things <a href="http://livingthroughchem.blogspot.com/2010/08/unconference.html"
I wrote about the racist elements of the “rape by deception” case in Israel, and also addressed the problems I see with criminalizing lies in sexual interactions. In response to the discussion here at Feministe, I offered my own take on parenting children in the public sphere.
The Lancet, a major and elite medical journal, writes a strongly-worded editorial showcasing how Medicine as an institution contributes to the devaluation of pregnant women.
This week on Yes Means Yes Blog: The Impossibility Of Disclosure Obligations. This is a response to discussion on on a Feministe thread about what folks should have to disclose to potential sex partners. The short answer: nothing. Each of us knows what we’d need to know before being sexual with someone; we can’t know what others need to know, and therefore it’s on each of us to ask what we need to ask. <a href="http://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/safecall-in-practice/"Safecall, In Practice. In Jaclyn’s My Sluthood, Myself, she mentioned setting up a safecall. I’ve written about it before and I’ve had reader requests, so I posted to highlight the mechanics of a safecall. There Is No Slut. Long Live Sluts! is a response to the comments to Jaclyn’s My Sluthood, Myself. Many comments point out the tension between reclaiming and eliminating the term, but I think the tension is illusory and both of those things serve the same end. Fastened To A Dying Animal is yet another reaction to Jaclyn’s My Sluthood, Myself — this time to some of the negative reaction it provoked. The forces of shame have long relied on infection and unwanted pregnancy to deter women from exercising full sexual agency; those arguments are failing, and as a fallback they turn to the lie that women who are sexual on their own terms will never find love. That won’t work either, because it’s not true.
In my pelvic floor + yoga series, posts deconstructing eagle pose and goddess pose. Also, a roundup offering some other squat variations, some yoga-focused, some not.
At the Ms. Magazine blog:http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/07/29/on-the-anniversary-of-to-kill-a-mockingbird-going-beyond-a-conversation-on-race/ “On the Anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird: Going Beyond a Conversation on Race”
I picked up some tips on campaigning and noted them down. Hope they help anyone wanting to do a feminist campaign! http://delilah-mj.blogspot.com/2010/07/notes-for-campaign.html
For my feminist film blog: A review of 12th & Delaware, the abortion documentary premiering on HBO tomorrow night, which I had the privilege of seeing in advance at a film festival screening. A write-up of this week’s episode of Mad Men. I plan to make this a regular feature at feministfilm.tumblr.com.
I wrote about a Tory politician, Francis Maude, who’s now a Cabinet Minister, who last year was discovered to have defrauded the taxpayers of at least £25,000 in fraudulent expenses claims, and this year is planning to pass legislation, to ensure that the half a million civil servants due to lose their jobs (thanks to the cuts his government plan to make in essential services) will not receive the compensation they are legally due: Come into the garden, Maude – and smell the fertiliser.
In the Epic Battle of YouTube vs. Teh Gays…Gays Win!: I updated my post about YouTube smacking an 18+ on a parody of Katy Perry’s California girls because evidently boys in shorty shorts are R rated but Perry’s naked butt and women as objects to be consumed are G rated. Original. Update.
My power was out, so I missed the last one and haven’t been blogging so much, but here’s my review of Inception, including a critique of how globetrotting cyberpunk stories are too often about making the world a playground for white people: http://cyberpunksnotdead.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/where-we-built-another-world-my-thoughts-on-inception/ Also, a piece on Borderlands and video game writing: http://cyberpunksnotdead.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/massive-damage-the-writing-of-borderlands/ And my original review of Borderlands, another game that uses women-as-sex-appeal in advertising more than in the game itself: http://cyberpunksnotdead.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/p-s-you-guys-arent-friends-borderlands-reviewed/
A discussion of the challenges of being a woman in the engineering world and emphasizing women’s unity and the fact that women across the world do not need guardians
I was traveling for the last two weeks through extremely rural New England and thanks to bad batteries (which mostly ruled out drive-by wi-fi poaching) and non-existent cell reception (which ruled out posting via handheld) and wonderfully busy schedules with family, lakes, oceans, islands, and deep, deep woods I basically had no connectivity. Kind of cool but I’m really glad to be reliably back online. I had time this afternoon to post It’s About Putting Shoes On Both Feet, Not On the Other Foot: Courtney Martin on the Myth of the Fairer Sex, based on her very cool post at Tapped. I did manage to find a connection long enough to say why progressive, comprehensive sexual-health education really, really rocks my family in Why Julie Metzger’s “Heart to Heart on Growing Up” Courses Rock. figleaf
I managed to get so pissed off by one commentator suggesting that it would be a shame for Feministe readers to not get that sometimes they have to put up with ableist language for a a good overarching message that I engaged in a little cathartic exercise in my pretty defunct three-post blog. And so, for your enjoyment, But, Damn it, my Thesaurus Gives me Paper Cuts!. And even with the knowledge that catharsis doesn’t really work in practice, I did it anyway. It might be time for some Bailey’s and hot cocoa.
http://community.feministing.com/2010/07/28/health-and-mental-health/ My finally posted essay on the social disapproval of taking care of one’s mental health.
The past two weeks at From Austin to TAMU: First, my partner started a new blog on anarcha-feminism and non-violent anarchist activism: Anarcha-Feminism ForeverGeek does it again!: I berate ForeverGeek for their half-assed “attempt” to engage with geek feminism and geek sexism. Help! I’m a…feminist romance reader?: Adrienne talks about the romance genre, its damages to women, and its potential subversiveness from the feminist perspective. Verbal abuse and “toughening up”: I respond to s. e. smith’s Dear Imprudence post on verbal abuse and share my own experiences with familial verbal abuse and the scars it leaves.
I’ve been reading about Al Gore being cleared of all charges. Something that Feministe was so ardent about and yet so silent now that it turns out there are huge inconsistencies in the charges and absolutely no evidence. Innocent until proven guilty. At least talk about it, ok? Gore has done good things for women. And continues to do good things. http://letters.salon.com/news/feature/2010/07/31/us_gore_sex_allegations/view/
Neither Charley nor the author of the AP article linked to by Salon appear to appreciate that (a) the evidence against Al Gore is still where it was: a woman said she was sexually assaulted by him; (b) that Al Gore has not been “cleared of all charges” – the DA has decided not to prosecute; (c) that “innocent till proven guilty” also applies to the woman being accused.
At Blueberry Shake, I discuss the industry of hysterectomies by analyzing an essay written in the 70’s and how the issues stack up 30 years later. Hint: it’s not good. I discuss the comic industry, how there are not enough women involved, but I have found a lot of brilliant women comic creators on the internet. I do my first book review, and I review A Taste of Power, by Elaine Brown. She was the chairman of the Black Panther Party back in the seventies. It’s a pretty awesome book.
The latest in my series about sex communication tactics that can help make sex better for everyone, not just S&Mers, though they’re derived from S&M community ideas. This one is on journal-keeping (and love letters: http://clarissethorn.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/sex-communication-tactic-derived-from-sm-3-journal-keeping/ (Previous posts: Checklists — http://clarissethorn.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/sex-communication-tactic-derived-from-sm-1-checklists/ Safewords — http://clarissethorn.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/sex-communication-tactic-derived-from-sm-2-safewords-and-check-ins/ )
Wednesday and Thursday, two concerned young feminists, have started a new blog for a progressive, postcolonialist, intersectional look at the issues that touch us and our societies. This week, we have written on the following: Your Terra Incognita is my Home: An exploration of cultural appropriation of coloured cultures. Postcolonialism and this thing called RESPECT: An analysis of the kerfuffle over februaryfour’s Wind-Up Girl review. We Gotta Do Something!: About the elision of feminists of colour and the condescension toward their communities in Western-centric discourse. “International” Burn a Qu’ran Day: Thursday, a desi Muslimah, takes on the douches who have decided to burn the Qu’ran on Eid.
“Something that Feministe was so ardent about and yet so silent now that it turns out there are huge inconsistencies in the charges and absolutely no evidence.” Again, Charley, you’re apparently picking and choosing individual comments that support your thesis. The majority of commenters on Feministe either said they didn’t believe the charges or didn’t want to. All anyone else wants is for charges to be taken seriously regardless of who the accused is. If you think that somehow that’s been changed because the charges have been dropped, you’re incorrect. Does Charley perpetually troll? Can a mod get in on this? His or her comments in the Al Gore thread were irritating and triggering too.